Patriots-Titans: It's Not Running Up the Score, So Stop Crying

Football is a masculine, aggressive, and competitive sport. So why are countless players giving excuses during their postgame press conferences? When did pointing fingers, casting blame, and downright crying become acceptable behavior in the NFL?

On Sunday, the New England Patriots beat the Tennessee Titans 59-0. Both during and after the game, I heard fans complain that the Patriots were running up the score, and basically give an endless list of reasons the Patriots are a selfish, rude, and disrespectful team.

For each of the defense-less NFL teams, this is for you: Your opponent is not disrespectful, they are a football team. Football is a game. The object of the game is to win. You win the game by scoring points; it's really a simple concept.

And guess what? Each team gets roughly the same amount of opportunities to score points. I know, it sounds crazy, but it is true. Finally, when the game is over, the team with the most points on the board is declared the winner. I don’t think they could make the game any simpler.

Is it your opponent's fault that they can score on virtually every drive, without even breaking a sweat? No. The fault lies with your team, and your own inability to stop their offense.

There is absolutely no reason why the starting lineup of a great team, such as the Patriots, should have to sit on the bench during the entire second half of each game. This isn’t an elementary school football league. There is no rule saying each teammate must play each game, and for a specific amount of time.

Nothing guarantees that each team gets to score a certain amount of points. No one owes you a touchdown, or an interception, and they definitely don't owe you a win. Football is not a popularity contest, and it is certainly not politically correct.

This is professional football and each player makes tens of millions of dollars. Here is a little piece of advice for all the sore losers out there: If you don't like a team to run up the score, stop them. If you can't stop them, forfeit the game. If you can’t act like an adult, take your ball and go home.